No surprises in Veep’s visit

At the fair: U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Niles, D-17th, will join Democratic officials and candidates at the Mahoning County Democratic Party’s tent at the Canfield Fair from 3 to 5 p.m. today to meet fairgoers.

The tent is located at 47 Beaver St., near the fairground’s grandstand.

The billboard has President Barack Obama, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, all Democrats, in caricature, with leashes holding a caricature dog with Ryan’s face, standing next to a fire hydrant.

The billboard states: “Dr. Marisha Agana will serve only you!”

Vice President Joe Biden returns to the Mahoning Valley today with a stump speech that will target Mitt Romney, the Republican presidential nominee.

Biden will compare the economic policies of President Barack Obama, a fellow Democrat, and Romney, who gave his presidential nominee acceptance speech Thursday to close the Republican National Convention.

Biden “will discuss the choice voters in Ohio have in this election — a choice between these two fundamentally different visions of how to grow the economy, create middle-class jobs, and pay down the debt,” according to an email from the campaign.

That’s what Biden talked about during a 35-minute speech May 16 at M7 Technologies in Youngstown.

Biden said at the time that very wealthy people, like Romney “don’t get us,” meaning the middle-class.

Biden also said in May that the area has “been through hell and back — outsourcing, padlocked plants.”

He also praised Obama for the auto bailout, saying the “only reason” there are jobs at the General Motors complex in Lordstown is “because the president had the courage” to push through the rescue plan in 2009.

With Biden speaking at the United Auto Workers Local 1714 union hall in Lordstown today, he’s obviously going to talk again about the bailout. Local 1714 members work at that GM facility.

Also, Biden will talk about what Romney said Thursday in accepting the GOP presidential nomination.

No interview

And just like the last time and his three previous visits to the area since mid-2008, Biden isn’t available today for an interview with The Vindicator.

I complained about the snub in May and during a Democratic conference call shortly thereafter.

That not only attracted some national attention, but also the attention of the Romney campaign.

On a positive note, that led to an exclusive interview with Romney.

Following that, the Obama/Biden campaign told me in early July that they were working on getting me an interview with the vice president.

Apparently that’s still a work in progress.

Many national politicians — or at least the people who make decisions on interviews — don’t like to talk to print media.

I remember John Edwards in early 2004, then a Democratic presidential candidate, complaining in front of me about having to talk to the “pencils,” his derogatory term for newspaper reporters.

My ability to cover politicians doesn’t depend on the 5 to 10 minutes given to reporters for one-on-one interviews.

Important state

They’re nice to have, and in a heavily Democratic area in one of the most important swing states in this election, you’d think Democrats would make a point to provide that access.

But often those interviews are too brief to get in more than two or three questions.

Also, an experienced politician can talk for several minutes in response to questions without actually answering them.

Why should he grant you an interview, David? The Democrats don't really even have to come here - the lamebrained voters in the Mahoning Valley would vote for any candidate with a "D" next to their name. God forbid you might get him to say something that would reveal the true lack of leadership that is in place right now in the White House

The reason We don't have Jobs?When you consider the enormous amount of debt that has been added by the Obama administration, and consider JUST THE INTEREST on that amount of Obama's debt you reach a staggering conclusion:

Our children and grandchildren will have to pay $350 Billion PER YEAR in just INTEREST PAYMENTS ALONE for the remainder of their lives on the amount that Obama has borrowed in the 3 1/2 years since he became president.And if interest rates rise from their current historic lows, as they will probably do at some point down the road, that amount could easily rise to over a TRILLION dollars per year in interest alone !

Considering that much of that debt went to fund the Obama Stimulus, in which untold billions went overseas to foreign companies to stimulate jobs for foreign workers, Americans should be OUTRAGED.

Now think back to who President Obama put in charge of spending the stimulus money. Making certain it was well spent?

The stimulus was money this country BORROWED. Borrowed In The Name Of Our Children and Grand Children. And our children and grand children will be forced to pay taxes just to pay the interest on that debt, year after year after year. A perpetual drag on the economies that will provide them jobs. That drag on the economy will be there For the rest of their lives.Borrow the money in the names of our children and then spend the money overseas. What an unfair legacy to leave them.What a burden for the rest of their lives!